Thursday's 5 Things: Passing the baton

View this email in your browser Thursday, July 28, 2016 Passing the baton. Grabbing the spotlight. Dropping the charges. It's Thursday, and here are the 5 things you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door: 1. Democratic convention Operation Make Hillary Likable -- otherwise known as the DNC -- brought out the big guns last night. President Obama was in full "Hope and Change" mode, dismissing Donald Trump's dark view of the world while pumping up Hillary Clinton's credentials. Veep Joe Biden was in full attack mode and said the magic words -- malarkey! -- in describing Trump's commitment to the middle class. Now the job of making Clinton more likable falls to, well, Clinton herself. She'll make her case tonight. Here are the six takeaways from the night Here's where we find out if all the claims add up Here are all the memorable lines Of course, we have to talk about Tim Kaine's speech. His aww-shucks demeanor had the Internet showering him with its best dad jokes. So, this is as good a time as any to resurface our Dad Joke Generator so you can come up with your own. Enjoy!  2. Donald Trump Did you seriously think Donald Trump was just going to sit back and let the Dems have all the fun -- and attention -- this week? The GOP nominee snatched back some of the spotlight yesterday in a wild, freewheeling news conference where he asked Russian hackers to dig up dirt on Hillary Clinton, told a female reporter to "be quiet," called Anthony Weiner a "pervert" and couldn't remember if Democratic veep nominee Tim Kaine was once the governor of Virginia or New Jersey. In other words: Classic Trump! 3. Freddie Gray Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby cut her losses and dropped charges against the three officers still facing trial in the Freddie Gray case. This, after she failed to get a conviction in previous trials. She gave a fiery statement, defending herself and accusing the police of hindering the investigation. This doesn't mean the highly charged case has seen the last of a courtroom because several of the officers in the case have sued her. (Here's a look at how other cases that spurred Black Lives Matter protests have fared.) 4. John Hinckley Jr. The man who tried to kill President Reagan will soon be free. John Hinckley Jr. was granted "full-time convalescent leave" yesterday from the mental hospital he was put in after shooting Reagan in 1981. The 61-year-old will live in Williamsburg with family and with restrictions. One of Reagan's sons suggested it's time to forgive Hinckley; the Reagan Presidential Foundation wasn't having any of that: "We believe John Hinckley is still a threat to others and we strongly oppose his release." 5. MH370 The home flight simulator of the pilot of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 had a route plotted into it which ended in the Indian Ocean. Officials confirmed that yesterday, but they're mum on who may have plotted the route. Capt. Zaharie Ahmad Shah had used the home simulator for years. Does this prove that Zaharie intentionally downed the plane back in March 2014 in the southern Indian Ocean? No, said officials. It only shows "the possibility of planning." Zaharie's sister says he being made a scapegoat for the air disaster. Breakfast Browse People are talking about these. Read up. Join in. No so secret Donald Trump's new Secret Service code name is "Mogul." But what's the point in having code names when everyone knows what the person is? Hot spot Jupiter's Great Red Spot is a hot spot too. Scientists think its temperatures reach up to 2,420 degrees Fahrenheit. That's hotter than molten lava! Concrete crib Ready to jump into the London housing market? Then check out this converted bomb shelter, with an asking price of only $3.4 million. Eye on the sky OK, stargazers: the season's first big meteor shower peaks tonight and tomorrow night. Here's where you should point your eyes and cameras. Ch-ch-changes A female president? That's an idea that was once so radical it got this T-shirt pulled from Walmart shelves. My how things change. $478 million That's the current Powerball jackpot, fifth-largest in its history. So if you're depending on a lottery prize as part of your retirement planning, the next drawing is  on Saturday night. And finally ... Wipeout Large tubes dropped on the highway and motorcycles don't mix. This mishap looks really bad, but thankfully the motorcyclist was OK. (Click to view) This edition of CNN Five Things brought to you by Doug Criss. Thanks for reading Five Things! We'd love to share our other newsletters with you. Follow this link for daily coverage of the dramatic election season, savvy market insights, an insider's look into the media, and more. Read more stories on CNN.com » Paid Content Share Tweet Forward CNN Five Things magically shows up in your inbox every weekday at 6 a.m. ET. Like what you see? Don't like what you see? Let us know. We're all about self improvement. Did a friend forward you this newsletter? Sign yourself up! Copyright © 2016 Cable News Network, LP, LLLP. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved., All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to CNN newsletters. Our mailing address is: Cable News Network, LP, LLLP. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved. One CNN Center Atlanta, Ga 30328 Add us to your address book unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences